Composition for producing refractory material.



O. L. NORTON. COMPOSITION FOR PRODUCING REFRACTORY MATERIAL. APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 190B.

7 ,4 4925925405? @WMKA Patented July 27, 190$ CHARLES LADD NORTON, OF MANCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMPOSITION FOR PRODUCING REFRACTORY MATERIEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2'2, 1909.

Application filed July c, 1908. Serial No. 442,043.

-To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LtnartLss LADD Non- TON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Manchester, in the county of Essex 1 and State" of h'lassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Composi- 5 tion for Producing Refractory Material, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the production of refractory materials such as are described in Letters Patent of the United Slates/No.

847,293, granted tome under date of March 12, 1907, and consists in specific improvements in the composition of matter by which the production of such refractory materials is expedited and facilitated.

Where, as in the case of the refractory material described in my patent aforesaid, the

ingredients which are subjected to pressure (namely, the fibers, the cen entitious material and the liquid) are placed in a filter press,

- the filtration of the surplus liquid from the mixture must be efl'ectuatedin such manner that the liquid expressed 1n ay not carry with ittoo much of the cemerititious material, which, to perform its function properly, must remain in the body of the material together with a suilicient residual quantity of Water to effect the setting of the cement. Consequently, if filtering material on a filter bed is relied upon to retain the finely comminutcd cementitious material, the mesh thereof must be extremely fine, in most cases as line as bolting cloth, if its functions are to be thoroughly performed.

While the employment of fine textile filtering material is mechanically feasible and effective to produce slabs or'sheets of refractory material of the general, character above indicated, yet such filtering rsebs are unde sirable in a cm'rt-inuous series of operations, principally for the rcasonlthat they very soon lXClHl'lB impregnated with cementitious material which sets in the mesh and thereai ter renders the lifter useless, and also because such filter-webs are fragile and ill suited to sustain heavy pressures, even though carefully support-ed.

My intention in its broader aspect, is characterized by the formation of a mixture of the essential ingredients, namely-fibers,

solid or semi-solid cementitious material and a suitable liquid, of such character and consistency that, when a mass of such mixture spread upon a perforated metal screen, the

fibers of the mixture will, by interlacing and felting automatically and of themselves, form filtration \rehs over and across relatively large perforations in a filter sheet, so that those foundation fibers themselves furnish a filter Web of fineness suflicient to retain within the body of the material the cementitious material, While allowing surplus liquid to be expressed. In properly compounded mixtures constituted principally of asbestos fibers (even those very short fibers roduced by the g1 inding of serpentine rock) these foundation fibers of the mixture form an effective retaining filtration web over apertures in a perforated metal sheet 1/16 in diameter. I

The physical condition essential to the pen formance of this function by the fibers in the mass under treatment is that the proportion of liquid in the material shall be less than that which would produce mobility of the fibers in the liquid. If too much liquid is employed so that the fibrous ingredients of the material float about in it, as soon as the mixture is placed upon a filter bod provided only with a perforated metal sheet, the fibers themselves and a large portion of the cementitious material escape through the perforations, thus depriving the mixture of part of a very essential ingredient, for the reason that the oemontitious material is usuallyvery finely oomminuted. Again, if the cementitious material with or without a por tion of the fiberescapes through the mesh or perforation in the filter bed, the spaces in the filter bed soon become clogged and, as the cementitious material sets, the functional utility of the filter bed is destroyed, and if it be used in a hydraulic press the filtration sheets and Webs become firmly cemented to 9 the head of the press, from which they can be removed only with great diiiiculty. It is hardly necessary to state that, While the proportion of the liquid in the material should be less than that which will produce mobility of the fibers therein, it should be at least sufficient for the purpose of combina tion with-the cementitious material. This condition, however, is very easily secured Without danger of exceeding the proper maximum limit.

In the drawing hereto annexed there is illustrated conventionally in part and on a very much enlarged scale, a portion of a filter press and its bed showing the character-is io behavior of itself-filtering composition which ticlcs of ccmentitions material. When this embodies my invention.

In its broader aspects, the self-filtering composition herein illustrated, is set forth and reserved for claim in an application for Letters Patent filed by me concurrently herewith, serially numbered 442,042, and likewise, the filtration process, whereof the description is involved herein, is described and reserved for claim in another application for Letters Patent filed concurrently herewith, serially numbered 442,044.

In the formation of a composite matter, of the general character set forth in my patent aforesaid, but specifically in such propor-.' 'tions as will enable it to perform the selffiltering function above described, I proceed as follows: .First I mix in a dry state, from 2:} to 3 parts by weight of asbcstiform fiber with 1 part by weight of magnesium oxid, the latter being preferably procured by calci. nation of finely divided magnesium carbon ate as set forth in my said patent. Then 1 part by weight of this mixture of asbestiform fiber and magnesium oxid is mixed with 2 parts by weight of water. These proportions are correct provided the solids are thoroughly dry; if the' have lain for any length of time in a moist .rtmosphere, water absorbed from the air must be taken account of. Thismixture is. then placed upon the filter bed oftlae filter press.

' Referring to the drawingsj-A and B represent the upper and lower press heads or press plates. Upon the press plate there is laid a sheet of woven wire E and over this is a sheet of perforated metal C. The perforations in this sheet C should be close together and preferably quite small, though they may, without impairing, the success of the process, be as large as 1/16 in diameter. Smaller perforations, even as small as 1/6 t are, however preferable for the reason that by use of smaller perforations the lower sur face of the finished compressed product is i more nearly plane than it is who perforations are employed.

Practice and experience with the particular mixture olkluaterials used as ingredients of the article of manufacture pro-:luccd, will determine more exactly the proper diameter and spacing of the apertures in the top of the filter bed. The object to be attained is the formation of webs or nets composed of the fibers which form an ingredient of the mate rial, over and across the perforations in the filter bed sheet, and the preservation of these webs during the compression stage of the process so that, while surplus liquid will pass through the self-l'ornuul webs of fiber,,the ccmcntitious material will be retained within n larger the body of the article produced.

Referring again to the drawings, F repre- 5 sents the fibers 1n the mass under pressure, I and the dots (not lettered) represent the par- 5 mixture as above described the filter bed and subiected to pressure between the plates A. and B, simultaneously with the initial flow of liquid through the apertures in the perforated sheet C the fouir is spread upon datlon fibers mat together and form a web as at F stretched across the apertures in the sheet C. llns web possesses sulliclent. lensilc strength to retain its integrity even though the pressure between the and B exceeds one ton to the. These webs of the foundation the cementitious material, surplus water to escape.

compressed sheet or slab is removed from I the press, it is examined closely, the lower surface of it will be found covered with'slight protubcrances, showing where the retaining webs of the foundation fibers have saggcd slightly into the apertures of the top sheet of the filter bed, and it sr-rved in many instances that the cementiprcss plates square inch. fibers retain while allowing When after the has also been ob.-'

tion-s material is more dense immediately behinzl these little protuberancesthan elsewhere in the body-0f the finished article. This apparently demonstrates the tern of the finely comminutod cementitious mateial to flow toward thczuierturcs and to escape from the body of the mixtureumlcr pressure and also demonstrates the effective 1 ness of thc self-formed webs of foundation fiber to prevent the escape of the cemcntrtlous material from the body of the mixture.

added must be'lcarned by experience and i checked by observation. The quality of the wet mush and also the behavior of the mixture in the press will serve as check upon the operation of the water addition. Too little lcncy The correct manipulation and adjustment ;of the proportion of water mechanically.

water will cause the compressed sheets or a I plates to adhere too intimately to the press head and too much water will manifest its excess by the flows from the press. The expressed liquid jshould run from the press nearly clear; if it is milky, then it is certain that too much water 1 is being added to the material in tl e preparation for the press. A slight milkiness or cloudiness ofthe water which first emerges from the press will always be observed but it i is of no consequence: It is the quality of the liquidwhiclr.

subsequent vIlo flow of which the character serves as a detector of an excess of water in the mixture. Conversely, the character of the. waste watcr from the press for the same reason will bctray errors in mixing the dry solid ingredicuts, if these involve too fiber, the mobility of the fibers in the liquid added will allow fiber and cement to pour through the fibcr- ')crforations,-' and the expressed liquid will flow cloudy throughout the operation.

The mixed mass in the press is subjected to scant proportions of the square inch. The foundation fibers, as

illustrated in the 'llrawing, form retaining websover the perlorations 1n theupper sheet of the filter bed and retain the magnesium oxid in the body of the article produced and insure the cementation of substantially the entire quantity of magnesium oxid originally incorporated in the mixture.

' I claim:

1. A sell-filtering composition consisting of asbestil'orm fibers, magnesium oxid, and Water, in proportions, by Weight, 01' 1 part magnesium oxid, 2% to 3 parts asbestiform fiber, and six to seven parts water. 2. A self-filtering composltlo-n eonslstmg of asbestiform fiber, magnesium OX1(l, and

Water, the proportionvof- Water being less than that productive of mobility of the fibers therein Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this fifteenth day of June 19Q8;

. CHARLES LADD NQRTON. Vvitnesses I CHARLES D. WOODB RRY, JOSEPHINE-H. RYAK. 

